IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Winter 2013 - 20

deal in depth with and make this terminology real in
our forthcoming book Positive Computing [4].
If this sounds like a mushroom-induced, "they must
be from California," kind of suggestion, note that even
conservative types like economists, business leaders,
and neuroscientists have taken on wellbeing with gusto.
In fact, many of us in computer science and engineering
have also already begun more extensively to consider
the concept of well being. To understand what we've
done versus what we might do in the future, we first
need to get rigorously scientific about wellbeing.
In [5], motivation researchers ryan and Deci describe
the long standing distinction made between two theories
of psychological wellbeing: hedonic and eudaimonic.
Technologists have addressed some aspects of hedonic
wellbeing, by seeking to create pleasurable devices and
positive user experiences. Our ability to quantify hedonic
wellbeing has been furthered by researchers like Nobel
Prize winning Daniel Kahneman, who devised methods
for measuring wellbeing [6].
Eudaimonic wellbeing goes beyond positive emotion and argues that lasting happiness is also contingent
on reaching human potential and on personal development. Eudaimonic wellbeing is frequently evaluated
using measures of life satisfaction used by economists
and policy makers [1]. while attention on eudaimonic
wellbeing is increasing in other fields, it remains fairly
new territory for engineers.

approach. rather than guiding behavior towards an end,
they work to inform it. They use data collected via inputs
like sensors to build tools that help users reflect on their
behaviors (e.g., exercise habits or sleeping routines).
Most current examples relate to physical wellness,
but the very same techniques can be used for supporting psychological well being. we might think about the
above approaches as aligned to what Kahneman calls
"Thinking Fast and Slow." In other words, software
designed to support wellbeing could do so by scaffolding "thinking fast" moments (e.g., using choice architecture to help nudge off-the-cuff decisions). Or-and
this second option may appeal to those concerned by
the paternalistic overtones of the former-software can
be designed to support "thinking slow" moments, when
we benefit from visualizations and feedback that can
help inform reflection and planning.

Carving a Landscape of Positive Computing
we might better understand the potential for positive
computing by categorizing it based on how techniques
to support wellbeing are integrated into software. In this
regard, we observe at least three useful categories: preventative, active, and dedicated.
■

Promoting Wellbeing Fast and Slow
we know what you're thinking. "wellbeing is out of
my area. what do engineers know about happiness
anyway?" Indeed, the loveable image of the sunstarved hacker coding into the night and stopping only
for a role playing game (rPG), doesn't exactly scream
"expert in psychological wellbeing." It's like putting
one's happiness in the hands of Sheldon Cooper.1 But
besides the fact that stereotypes aren't reality, we
don't need to be experts on wellbeing research to take
advantage of it. Fortunately, psychologists and neuroscientists are doing that part for us, and by partnering
with them we can make technologies that have a far
greater impact on our users (and ourselves).
Economists have partnered with psychologists in
areas like choice architecture (i.e., "nudges") to help
people make healthier decisions. Nudging generally
focuses on scaffolding the automatic decision-making
we often use even for significant life decisions. Those
working in persuasive technologies are no strangers to
choice architecture and how it can be used for human
welfare or for profit.
In the area of personal informatics, aka "quantified
self" [7], researchers have generally taken a different
1

A fictional character on the American TV series Big Bang Theory whose
scientific prowess is matched only by his utter lack of emotional intelligence.

■

Preventative technologies treat obstacles to
wellbeing as errors (just as usability violations
warrant redesign). For example, imagine a redesign of Facebook undertaken when an evaluation reveals that an interface element encourages
cyber bullying.
Active technologies are those in which a new
feature is added specifically to promote one or
more factors of well being. For example, software
designers might choose to add a "thanks" button
based on the evidence that expressing gratitude
increases overall wellbeing.
Finally, dedicated positive computing technologies
are those built from the ground up to promote one
or more factors of wellbeing. These are the easiest
to identify today, in apps like Super Better, bLife or
the Mindfulness App which were created to develop
resilience, implement positive psychology and
encourage mindfulness respectively.

In addition to a growing number of apps, studies on
computer-based mental health interventions can stand
as early models for positive computing. For example, a
number of interventions for the development of socioemotional intelligence have been used successfully in
schools and by clinical psychologists. See Schueller and
colleagues [8], for an example on empathy and gratitude).
Other factors with causal links to wellbeing include
autonomy, relatedness, and competence, which
together form the basis of Deci and ryan's self-determination theory. Psychologists have built a rich body
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Winter 2013